laying workers in swarm. Maybe !!

[stenibee]

have got a swarm on 7 frames in brood box which i have had for 10 days. Checked yesterday and could not find queen anywhere. eggs are present but more than one in a lot of cells. any advice.

 

[MuswellMetro]

i would think it is a new queen finding it diffiuclt to control her egg valve fold and laying double eggs, it usual sorts it self out in a few days and the workers will anyway remove the surplus eggs

look in 7 days and tell the forum what the brood looks like

 

[snelgrove]

My guess laying workers, swarm did not have a queen , normally they would have absconded.

 

[Excession]

The reason you shake out laying workers is the laying worker can't fly, so unable to return to the hive.

What makes you think they can fly to swarm? And why do you think bees would swarm without a queen?

Clipped queen, failed swarms return to hive, they don't continue...

Interested to hear your logic.

I agree with MM.

 

[oliver90owner]

First question is: What do you mean by 'got a swarm'? Captured or arrived?

Next is: Where are the eggs in the cells?

Why only seven frames?

If they already have eggs, you only have a week to find out if they are drones or workers.

So more information required or we are just guessing. There are not many options.

 

[snelgrove]

The reason you shake out laying workers is the laying worker can't fly, so unable to return to the hive.

What makes you think they can fly to swarm? And why do you think bees would swarm without a queen?

Clipped queen, failed swarms return to hive, they don't continue...

Interested to hear your logic.

I agree with MM.

My point is the swarm was collected in the belief the queen was present, she wasn't. The swarm was hived with no queen. Of course laying workers weren't in the swarm

 

[Cussword]

The reason you shake out laying workers is the laying worker can't fly, so unable to return to the hive..

Why is that? Are the layers heavier because of eggs?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Why is that? Are the layers heavier because of eggs?

No - another incorrect assumption - laying workers can fly
The reason you shake out the hive is you then remove the hive and leqave the bees beg their way into other Q+ hives - her pheremones then supress the worker's need to lay.
My guess with MM here - new queen clearing her throat

 

[snelgrove]

No - another incorrect assumption - laying workers can fly
The reason you shake out the hive is you then remove the hive and leqave the bees beg their way into other Q+ hives - her pheremones then supress the worker's need to lay.
My guess with MM here - new queen clearing her throat

Laying workers may well fly, I don't think so, but in a swarm never. I have seen swarms collected by my local pest control officer deliverd to me only to be queenless. Hive up and no queen

 

[beeno]

Laying workers may well fly, I don't think so, but in a swarm never. I have seen swarms collected by my local pest control officer deliverd to me only to be queenless. Hive up and no queen

I would make the assumption here, that she was in the swarm, but he failed to get her into the swarm box. Bees will march in the box thinking that the queen is with them, but they will not stay long if she is not in the box. However, if you don't hang around it is possible to come away without her.

 

[midnight sun]

Could also be that he just couldn't see her in all those bees. After all he said he could not find her not she definitely was not there. So that's another possibility I would say.

 

[Finman]

have got a swarm on 7 frames in brood box which i have had for 10 days. Checked yesterday and could not find queen anywhere. eggs are present but more than one in a lot of cells. any advice.

You have 8 hives. Put a larva frame into your swarm hive. Then Bees are able to do queen cells and workers stop laying.

If they do not make swarm cells, hive has injured queen, which cannot lay normally.
.
You will see it in 2 days.

 

[stenibee]

Thanks for your comments

 

[Hivemaker.]

Could also be that he just couldn't see her in all those bees. After all he said he could not find her not she definitely was not there. So that's another possibility I would say.

Could also be a cast, and the virgin queen has disappeared, maybe swallowed by a swallow...and the workers then started laying eggs.

 

[midnight sun]

Could also be a cast, and the virgin queen has disappeared, maybe swallowed by a swallow...and the workers then started laying eggs.

Oh yes, never thought of that. Another tip picked up.

 

[BeeJayBee]

i would think it is a new queen finding it diffiuclt to control her egg valve fold and laying double eggs, it usual sorts it self out in a few days and the workers will anyway remove the surplus eggs

look in 7 days and tell the forum what the brood looks like

I'd go for this option before tipping them out, there isn't much to lose by waiting and possibly everything to gain.

 

[td4bees]

laying workers

have got a swarm on 7 frames in brood box which i have had for 10 days. Checked yesterday and could not find queen anywhere. eggs are present but more than one in a lot of cells. any advice.

even if the swarm lost its queen workers would not start laying that quick, it could be a newly mated queen lots of them get off to a spluttering start. test frame eggs and young larva